Babies Who Grow Up In A Bilingual Household Have Some Serious Benefits

posted by Sisanie -
Feb 5, 2019

Growing up, I never thought twice about the fact that I grew up in a bilingual household. Until I got older and realized not everyone spoke multiple languages with their family, of course.

But when it came to raising my babies, I knew that we would introduce both English and Spanish to them right away! Of course they're not
really
talking yet, but we talk to them in both languages regularly and I am pretty confident they're going to grow up being able to speak and understand both English and Spanish.

While we decided to raise them bilingual because of my husband and I's culture, it turns out there are actually major benefits for kids who grow up in a bilingual home. So if you're able to raise your kids this way, these facts might persuade you.

Bilingual kids have advantages when it comes to social and communication skills, according to a
2015 study in the journal
Psychological Science.

They also are said to develop advantages in paying attention, which is significant for when they start school and have to sit in a classroom for hours a day, learning.

Romper
broke down the studies that showed these advantages for you with much more detail, but it is important to note that the advantages from growing up in a bilingual household start as early as 6 months old (which means my kids are already experiencing them?!) Plus, these benefits that start so young have been shown to last throughout their entire lives.

So really, what are you waiting for?!

Even if you aren't bilingual yourself, there may be easy ways for you to introduce a new language to them around the house! Get books in another language, toys that talk or sing in other languages, and read things like ingredients on their food in another language.

Obviously this means you would need to learn a little bit, too, but it's never too late to try and pick something new up!